Neil Gaiman: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Hi everyone

This is my second time reading Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and I was curious to see if my feelings about it had changed. Spoiler: they didn’t.
I have this gorgeous pocket that I reread.

"It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond this world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.
His only defence is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang."

I honestly don’t understand why this book has an average of 4 stars on Goodreads.
The story starts out well enough. The setting is interesting, and the initial characters drew me in. The pace is good, and the atmosphere is eerie in a way that hooks you right away.

But; and this is a big but, the characters are completely one-dimensional, either purely good or purely bad. The book feels too scary for YA but too simplistic for an adult story. And the plot itself? It just doesn’t make sense. I kept thinking, "What the hell is going on?" It’s frustrating because Neil Gaiman always has amazing ideas, but he struggles to execute them in a way that feels coherent or satisfying. The concepts are fascinating, but the story itself feels messy and underdeveloped.
Of course, this is just my opinion; I know Gaiman has a huge fanbase, and his work resonates deeply with many people. But for me, this book fell short of what it could have been.

What’s your experience with Neil Gaiman’s books? Do you love his writing, or do you share my frustration with his execution? I’d love to hear your thoughts; maybe you’ll help me see something I missed!

Happy reading!
Helena